Youth, 17, and man are slain in city

A man was found slain in his Northeast Baltimore home yesterday and a teen-age youth was shot to death, bringing Baltimore's 1993 murder toll to seven in six days, city police reported.

About 9:05 a.m., 17-year-old Antwon Payne was shot in the chest at his home in the 1200 block of Harford Ave., and a friend, Jeffrey Johnson, 19, was subsequently charged with first-degree murder, homicide detectives said.

The two may have been playing with a revolver, and Mr. Johnson was apparently holding the weapon when it discharged, a bullet hitting the Payne youth, investigators said.

Mr. Johnson then dragged the Payne youth out the door to the pavement in front of the house, police said. Detectives said they believe the victim was taken outside to make it appear as if he had been shot on the street.

The Payne youth was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he died at 8:30 p.m., police said.

Mr. Johnson, of the 2400 block of Orleans St., was waiting to see a District Court commissioner for a bail hearing last night.

The other homicide yesterday was reported about 5:15 p.m. in the 2400 block of Gainsborough Court in Northeast Baltimore, where a man was found dead in his bedroom, police reported.

The man's mother discovered the body at the home, which is near the city-county line, police said.

The name of the victim was being withheld and detectives would provide no other details about the crime late last night.

Another shooting incident occurred about 5:45 p.m. in the 1600 block of Ensor St. when Maurice Harrison, 32, of the 2200 block of Guilford Ave. was struck in the abdomen by a bullet fired by an unidentified man, police said.

Mr. Harrison was standing on the sidewalk when the man fired and then fled the area, police said.

The victim was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was in critical condition last night.

The homicides yesterday followed a slaying Tuesday night of a 24-year-old Clifton Park-area man who was found dead in an alley near his home.

Robert Sylvester Jones of the 1600 block of E. 25th St. had received at least one gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. He was found in an alley between the 1600 and 1700 blocks of E. 25th St.

Police said Mr. Jones, who was training to be a barber, had left his home about 10:15 p.m., telling his parents he was going to the store.

Several minutes later, residents reported hearing several gunshots coming from the alley.

Police reported that no arrests had been made last night. Police ask anyone with information about the slayings to call them at 396-2100.